When Will France Have its Barack Obama?

A conversation with Iris Deroeux, Jelani Cobb, Pap Ndiaye and Benjamin Stora, moderated by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

This panel will discuss the differences in construction of identity in France and the United States. We want to know what specifically allowed for Barack Obama in the U.S. and how a similar evolution could happen in France. Barack Obama’s election in 2008 was celebrated as the advent of a “post-racial” America, coming to terms with its diversity and redefining its identity. At the end of his second term in office, the political debate on both sides of the Atlantic revolves more than ever around issues of identity, of common values, and inclusion of minorities. Reflecting both countries’ singular histories, journalists Iris Deroeux and Jelani Cobb and historians Pap Ndiaye and Benjamin Stora will debate issues regarding political representation of minorities and explore how these questions figure among the challenges facing liberal democracies today.

No RSVP required.